Home Random Musings The Versatile Blogger Award

The Versatile Blogger Award

by Dawn
winner versatile blogger award

The Versatile Blogger Award for Crazy Organic Mama. Really? Little Old Me?

I was notified yesterday that I’ve been awarded the Versatile Blogger Award by the wonderful Elizabeth Ellis over at 50Sense.net. If you haven’t yet discovered Elizabeth’s blog, you really should check it out, particularly if you’re a woman over 40(ish). It’s a very enjoyable read! And be sure to check out her Facebook page at www.facebook.com/50SenseUK. She posts the most beautiful pictures from her morning walks, I’m always completely enchanted and convinced I must visit the UK (and her!) one of these days very soon!

I’m so flattered that she nominated me for this award, which is given to those who show quality in their writing, a love for their subject, and who bring something special to the nominator’s life. Thank you, Elizabeth! I’m honored!!!

BUT, there’s a twist with this award! First, I get to nominate 7 other bloggers for this award. This is not going to be difficult, there are so many wonderful people who have touched my life in the short little time I’ve been blogging. That’s the easy part!

So, what’s the hard part? I have to reveal 7 facts about myself here. **gulp** I write about plants so I don’t HAVE to write about me, ya know? I mean, I just finished a guest post coming out in March on a friend’s blog (she’s being nominated below. Shhhhhh.….she doesn’t know yet!) I had to give her a picture of myself (UGH!) and a bio so she can introduce me to her readers. That was tougher than writing the entire blog post!

Here are my 7 nominations for the Versatile Blogger Award, in no particular order. Each of these ladies has brought something special to my last few months, through their support and friendship, and through their wonderful blogs. I hope you’ll visit each one and discover how truly special they are:

Sarita at An Off Grid Life. She gives us a fascinating peek at a lifestyle many of us will never know.

Nikki at Gwin Gal Inside & Out. Lots of indoor and outdoor decorating and gardening advice, in a very engaging style you’ll enjoy, I promise!

Linda at Only Today. She writes about getting and being healthy and happy. Great advice for all of us!

Sandra at Thistle Cove Farm. Faith-filled and touching posts about losing her husband and the new life she’s crafting. Not depressing, I promise, extremely uplifting and enjoyable.

Shanna at Girl Friday Creative (Shanna is a VERY new blogger, but she’s working her tush off to get her blog going and I feel she deserves some kudos for that). She has great insight into today’s issues. I’m not a big current events girl, but I’ve enjoyed her posts so far.

Kim at Older Wiser Money Miser. Kim’s down-to-earth money-saving advice is so helpful and so reasonable. If you’ve ever had any trouble saving money (or at least not spending it!), please check her out! She also happens to be the one I’m guest posting on soon, so I’m excited for that!

And last, but certainly not least:

Linda at Rocking the Spectrum. Linda is on the autism spectrum, diagnosed as an adult. Her struggles will touch you deeply, whether you are on the spectrum, know someone who is, or are just a member of the human race (and I’m pretty sure most of us are!), but you won’t come away depressed or discouraged, rather heartened by her unique perspective and determination.

I hope you’ll head over and check all of these lovely ladies out. If you feel so moved, please feel free to subscribe to their blogs or leave them some comments, I know it would be greatly appreciated!

OK, that was the easy part. Now here’s the hard part. Seven things you might not know about me:

Thing #1 – I’m an introvert

Now, you might have figured that out from what I said above, but give me a cozy chair, a cat (or two!) and a book and I’m a happy person. Make me go somewhere and actually interact with other humans and I’m ready to go home in 5 minutes.

Hubby has been doing some woodworking and we went to two craft fairs right before Christmas to sell his products. Seven straight hours of interacting with ALL. THE. PEOPLE! It’s a good thing I love him.

Thing #2 – I acted in 2 plays in elementary school

See, yes, I’m an introvert, but if I don’t have to be me and I can play a character, it’s all good. In 4th grade, I was a munchkin in the Wizard of Oz. I had NOOOO lines. I was an extra, so to speak, but that was ok with me.

In 6th grade (and now that I look back, all the 6th graders had some kind of speaking part), I was Sterling the Silver Fairy in The Twelve Dancing Princesses. The Twelve Dancing Princesses is a musical, but thankfully (for me and everyone whose ears did not subsequently bleed), my part was only a speaking part. No singing for me! It was actually fun, though. Lots of work, but fun.

Thing #3 – I was horse crazy as a kid

closeup of horses
Look at those beautiful eyes!

Anything horses, everything horses, I LOVED horses! In fact, I was so horse crazy when I was 10 or so that my mom got me a subscription to a Kentucky newspaper the month before the Derby just so I could read about all the horses and hoopla. It was awesome! (I still didn’t correctly pick the winner, but it was cool.)

Then as a young teenager, I took horseback riding lessons. Oh, the bliss….and the terror! It’s amazing how far off the ground you are perched on a horse’s back. But I loved it! Ya know, I can’t remember the name of someone I met last week, but I can remember the names of every horse I ever rode there.

There was Jack, the GIANT American Saddlebred (loved him, he was soooo easy to ride). There was Challenge, who lived up to his name. As in, he was the only horse I ever fell off of. ‘Nuff said.

RIF was an ornery little white pony who liked to grab the bit and do what HE wanted. Ever try to get the bit back after a horse grabs it? Good luck to you!

And then there was Fonzie. He was a GORGEOUS Morgan who had the wonkiest canter ever. They’re supposed to have a really smooooooooth gait, like riding a rocking chair. Oh no, not Fonzie. He was more like a tractor over a rutted field (you knew I’d get some kind of gardening reference in here, didn’t you?) BUT, I loved that horse. I even almost convinced my parents to buy him for me. Almost.

Thing #4 – I’m a born-again Christian

cross

I’ve been going to a fundamental, Bible-believing church since before I was born. Yup, my mom started going there when she was pregnant, so I’ve officially been there since before birth. When my daughter was born, they gave me a baby shower, which was actually a second generation baby shower because they had given my mom one all those years before.

Now I know Bible-believing Christians have gotten a bit of a bad rap lately, but I don’t believe those people embody true Christianity. Yes, I have very strong beliefs about certain things, but here’s the thing. Those are my beliefs and I’m not going to share them with you unless you ask. And shoving them down your throat? Um, no, not my thing, thank you very much.

I have friends who are black, white, straight, gay, Christian, atheist, etc., etc. I figure it’s between you and God how you live your life, so I’ll choose to like you if you’re a nice person and you’re nice to me. How’s that? Seems the world would be an easier-to-live-in place if everyone thought that way.

Thing #5 – I change jobs every 7 years

Yup, I get bored easily. When I was in college the first time (more on that in a minute), I was training to be a legal assistant, so I got a job at a law office. I ended up leaving that office with one of the partners when he went out on his own, but I worked as a legal assistant for almost exactly 7 years until after I had my daughter.

Then, I became an at-home medical transcriptionist. My mom watched my daughter for me while I worked part-time at this for, you guessed it, just about 7 years!

After that, I became a PartyLite consultant. If you aren’t familiar with PartyLite, it’s a candle and home decor company whose consultants do home parties (kinda like Tupperware parties. Are those even a thing anymore??) Remember how I mentioned that whole introvert thing? Yeah, I wasn’t particularly comfortable doing parties, but I was actually fairly good at it.

In fact, I earned 4 all-expense paid trips with PartyLite, and was able to go on a tropical cruise, then to Atlantis (best place EVER! I’ve been back twice more), Hawaii (a life-long dream), and Aruba. Funny thing, again, I was a consultant for just about, yup, 7 years.

Now, my last job has been as a part-time fitness trainer. This is actually the longest-running job I’ve had. I’m at almost 9 years and counting now. Hmmm…..maybe this one will stick?

Thing #6 – I went back to college at the age of 43

UConn mascot, Jonathan the husky
University of CT mascot, Jonathan the Husky

When I was originally in college, I really didn’t want to be there, I just went to please my parents. So, I just got an Associate’s (2 year) degree and called it quits. BUT, when my daughter and I were searching for colleges for her, I realized how much I really wanted to go back and finish my degree.

I ended up at the University of CT. I initially thought I would get a degree in Landscape Architecture, but discovered after just one semester of classes that the landscape part was fine, but the architecture part was not happening.

I changed direction and ended up in the Horticulture program, although being something of a masochist, I took lots of extra classes, Organic Chemistry, Genetics, ya know, fun things like that. I had a blast and graduated with a 3.97 GPA.

UConn campus
The University of CT campus is absolutely gorgeous!

The weird thing was, I never really felt older than the kids I was in class with. The cool thing was, they didn’t really treat me like I was older than them. I had so much fun. If money were no object, I’d go back for another degree in….hmmmmm….well, not sure what. Molecular & Cell Biology? Chemistry? Who knows? I’m one of those weird people who actually LIKE school.

Is grad school in my future? I haven’t ruled it out yet, so we shall see.

Thing #7 – I’m a Crazy Cat Lady

Yup, that’s official. I have 5 cats and would have more if hubby would let me.

Missy, my cat
Missy the diva

Missy is my oldest at almost 10. She’s also my only purebred cat ever, and she appears to know it. She came from Dracoonfly Maine Coons, a wonderful breeder here in CT. I had always wanted a Maine Coon, so took the plunge with her. She’s huge, not heavy, but measures 42 inches from her front foot to the tip of her tail. She can stretch up and put her front feet flat on my kitchen counters when she wants to.

Jolie, my cat
Jolie. Her name means “pretty” in French and I think she has a very pretty face.

Next comes Jolie. She’s one of two black cats I have. She wandered into our yard some years back and became a member of the family. She’s a bit of a contentious member of the family as she’s not too fond of the other cats, but we do okay most of the time. She’s about 8 years old.

Boo, my cat
Boo is camera-shy, this is the best I could do (and yes, she does have 2 ears!)

Our next baby is Boo, my second black cat. She’s 6 years old and was actually born the month my daughter graduated from high school. We got her from Protectors of Animals, a wonderful rescue organization, when she was 5 months old. She’s well-named, as she’s a bit skittish, but a very sweet and loving kitty.

Our youngest two babies, Peanut and Taz, also came from Protectors of Animals. We got them this past August after losing our rescue Great Dane, Marty, to a cervical spine nerve compression. We knew we wouldn’t have Marty long as he came with lots of medical problems, but losing him after only 2 years left a massive hole in my heart. He’s the only animal we’ve ever had whose ashes I brought home. They’re sitting in a beautiful paw print urn on my hearth right now.

Peanut, my cat
Peanut in her favorite place, my lap

Peanut is my beautiful little calico, who again, was aptly named, as she has stayed petite. She’s truly my baby, always in my lap, and flops over belly up whenever I walk by so she gets belly rubs. I keep telling her no self-respecting cat flops over for belly rubs, but she doesn’t listen.

Taz, my cat
Tazzy is my little wild child

Taz is my wild child, and only boy cat. He’s a ginger with catitude. He’s also a bruiser, 2 weeks younger than Peanut, but at least 4 pounds heavier at this point with more growing to do (they were both born in April last year).

He loves to play but has outgrown Peanut so much she no longer likes to play with him. He tries to play with Missy (who still outweighs him by a bit). Sometimes she’ll play, sometimes she’ll hiss, depends on how the diva feels that day.

I know this post was very different than anything I’ve done before, but I hope you’ve enjoyed this little glimpse into some (slightly embarrassing) facts about me. I also hope you’ve been able to visit some of my nominees and have enjoyed their websites as well. Thanks for reading, and as always, smile and have a crazy organic day!

Versatile Blogger Award

The Versatile Blogger Award for Crazy Organic Mama. Really? Little Old Me?

14 comments
1
FacebookTwitterPinterest

You may also like

14 comments

Linda 03/15/2019 - 5:54 am

Hi there Dawn…it’s prob in the middle of the night for you, so this will be a good morning message:)

I wonder if you can guess what’s next on my to do list over the weekend….
Yup, my version of 7 secrets… which is kinda hard, when I try to make it a point, NOT having secret. But I’ll dig some up.

And that university is just….. I think I’d feel like a princess every single day. I’m a huge fan of school too, as long as I can do things in my pace and there’s not too much group work. But learning was always a huge joy of mine.

Oh, and I want to hug and cuddle every single of those sweet furballs – can’t believe you have a Maine Coon – always wanted a Maine Coon. I’m officially and seriously jealous.

Well, I’m off to send a post well on it’s way and then my gaze will turn to The Versatile Blogger Award – thank you for the nomination, my friend.
Have a fabulous day, drink coffee (or tea) – and… Idk, it’s not my business to decide whether or not other people should smile, but I do hope that the day brings you plenty of reasons to do so.

Linda

Reply
Dawn 03/15/2019 - 12:40 pm

Thank you very much! You really will have to come visit sometime so you can cuddle all my little furballs (especially Missy, the Maine Coon). Have a wonderful day too, and I also hope you find lots of reasons to smile!

Reply
Nikki L Gwin 02/22/2019 - 5:00 pm

Thank you so much Dawn for including me in your nominations! My favorite thing about this post though, is the 7 things about you. I enjoy seeing a snippet into my friends minds. 10-15 years ago I would have liked to go back to school also, but I am over that now. I just want to retire.
🙂 gwingal

Reply
Dawn 02/22/2019 - 6:04 pm

You’re funny! I actually keep thinking that I might go back again after I turn 62 because UConn allows people over 62 (or maybe it’s 65, I can’t remember) to attend for free.

Reply
Nikki Gwin 02/24/2019 - 8:31 am

Actually, thats not a bad idea! I’d love to take some horticulture classes! 🙂

Reply
Dawn 02/24/2019 - 3:58 pm

There should be an agricultural extension service somewhere close to you, they may have classes available or be able to point you in the right direction.

Reply
Shanna Fahrenkrog 02/22/2019 - 4:31 pm

Hey there…sorry, I have been busy in other areas of my life and have totally neglected all of you bloggers in my group. Dawn…it doesn’t surprise me one bit you won this award. You are so deserving. I just love your passion and hope to be there someday. Your post is amazing and I LOVE the fact you are a “Born Again Believer.” What could be better than that? Thank you for your kind words and your nomination. I greatly appreciate it.

Warm regards,
Shanna

Reply
Dawn 02/22/2019 - 6:02 pm

Thank you so much, Shanna! I can’t wait to see how things unfold for you going forward!

Reply
Elizabeth 02/21/2019 - 2:28 pm

We have so much in common – horses, cats, primary school shows!!!!!!! I can’t wait until you come to the UK and we can talk about them 🙂

Brilliant post, Dawn. Loved it.

Reply
Dawn 02/21/2019 - 5:51 pm

Time for a visit! I’ve never been overseas, I’d love to come sometime! Thanks again for nominating me, the post turned out to be more fun to write than I thought it would be, LOL.

Reply
Joyce Rosselli 02/17/2019 - 8:47 am

Dawn; Congrats! Well deserved. Your writing style is fun. Since I grew up near UConn I enjoy the references…best wishes.

Reply
Dawn 02/17/2019 - 4:35 pm

Thank you! That’s such a beautiful area of the state, I actually miss going there every day!

Reply
Anna Mary Myers 02/15/2019 - 10:09 am

Love it Dawn and congratulations on your award. I enjoy the humor you throw in.

Reply
Dawn 02/15/2019 - 11:37 am

Thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed it.

Reply

Leave a Comment

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Accept Read More